Almaden Quicksilver County Park

New Almaden Trail and the Eastside Trails

The New Almaden Trail

The eastside of Almaden Quicksilver Park is shaded from the afternoon
sun
by the Los Capitancillos Ridge. This part of the park has deep oak
woodlands.
Three trails run along the eastside: The New Almaden Trail, the
Hacienda
Trail, and the Virl O. Norton Memorial Trail. The New Almaden Trail is
the longest trail in the park. It runs for 6.7 miles along the middle
of
the northeast slopes of the park to
the Mockingbird Hill entrance of the park. The Mockingbird Hill
entrance
is located at the end of Mockingbird Hill Lane, which is off Almaden
Road
near the end of Almaden Expressway. The trail starts in shady woods
near
the parking lot. Along the way are interpretive signs installed as an
scout
project.

Click on the thumbnails below to see a larger picture:

Wildflowers near the Mockingbird Hill entrance

Mockingbird Hill entrance parking lot

Start of the New Almaden Trail

Interpretive signs along the New Almaden Trail

The New Almaden Trail is a narrow footpath (hiking only). It
is one
of the coolest and shadiest trails in the park. It is mostly level, but
makes lots of small ascents and descents. It winds in and out of narrow
ravines, crossing several small creeks along the way. In the
springtime,
shade-loving wildflowers line the green slopes along the trail. The
pictures
below are of parts of the trail near the Mockingbird Hill entrance.

New Almaden Trail, hill covered with
wildflowers

Close-up of wildflowers

Bridge crossing small creek

The middle part of the New Almaden Trail is accessible from
the Webb
Canyon entrance, hidden deep in a suburban neighborhood in the Almaden
Valley. The northern part of the trail is covered in the northside
trails page.

Webb Canyon entrance to the New Almaden Trail

The New Almaden Trail is one of the least crowded trails in
the park.
It is only open to foot traffic. It is best for long, slow walks in the
woods, but people do run on it. The Quicksilver
Running Club holds races on the trail. Even though it runs closer
to
suburban neighborhoods than most of the trails in the park, these
neighborhoods
are usually not visible because of the dense vegetation. The trail
ahead
is usually only visible for a short distance ahead, so pleasant
surprises
can be around each bend. In some cooler, shadier places, ferns cover
the
hillside. The trail is long, but it can be broken up into shorter loop
trips by taking short connector trails to the upper trails. The Buena
Vista
and Prospect #3 connect to the Randol Trail. The Cinnabar Trail, which
is shown on the Northside Trails page,
connects
to the Mine Hill Trail.

Flowers lining the trail near the Webb Canyon Entrance

Trail climbs a hill through a forest south of the Web
Canyon entrance

Poppy-covered hill below the trail near the Cinnabar
Trail junction

Fern-covered hill near a small creek in a shady ravine

The Hacienda Trail

The Mockingbird Hill entrance is also the start of two of the park's
other
eastside trails: The Hacienda Trail and the Virl O. Norton Memorial
Trail.
The Hacienda Trail begins next to the New Almaden Trail in a shady
forest,
then rises quickly. It is the steepest trail in the park. Taking it
uphill
provides a good workout. It climbs straight up through oak-shaded
forests,
with increasingly dramatic views of the park, the Almaden Valley, and
the
Santa Teresa Hills. Even after it seems to reach its peak, the trail
drops
and rises over the ridgeline of one narrow hill after another, like a
roller
coaster. After 1.2 miles, a short connector trail, the Capehorn Pass
Trail,
heads south and connects the Hacienda Trail with the junction of the
Mine
Hill Trail and the Randol Trail. From the Capehorn Pass junction, the
Hacienda
Trail turns east, and in half a mile, meets the southern end of the
Virl
O. Norton Memorial Trail. The Hacienda Trail then turns southeast and
runs
up and down more hills, paralleling the Mine Hill Trail. From here
there
are great views of the Mine Hill Trail dropping down towards New
Almaden.
In the distance, Almaden Reservoir and dam lies below the wooded slopes
of Mt. Loma Prieta, the highest point in the Sierra Azuls. The New
Almaden
chimney can be seen rising above the trees on a hill above New Almaden.
The trails turns to the southwest and begins a steep descent along
chaparral-covered
slopes that are covered with orange sticky monkey flowers in the
spring.
It then runs down through a cool canyon. Finally, it ascends to join
the
Mine Hill Trail near the English Camp Trail junction at 0.4 miles from
the Hacienda entrance of the park and 1.5 miles from the Norton Trail
junction.
The Mine Hill Trail can be taken to Capehorn Pass, which leads back to
the Hacienda Trail.

Hacienda Trailhead at the Mine Hill Trail. Hacienda
Trail climbs up
the hill in the background

The Virl O. Norton Memorial Trail

From the Hacienda Trail, the 1.2-mile Virl O. Norton Memorial Trail,
named in memory of famous local horseman Virl Norton, drops
down steeply, then runs along the edge of the
park near large homes and ranches, eventually ending at the Mockingbird
Hill entrance. Going in the reverse direction up the Norton Trail from
the Mockingbird Hill entrance, the relatively flat section of the trail
seems easy compared to the steep Hacienda Trail, even going downhill in
portions. However, the Norton Trail has to climb to reach the Hacienda
Trail, so it makes a tough climb near the end. It provides spectacular
views of the Almaden Valley and the Santa Teresa Hills. The trail was
closed
for awhile for re-alignment and was re-opened in 2004 as part of the
Bay
Area Ridge Trail. It is now open to bicycles, hikers, and equestrians.

Norton Trail entrance from the Mockingbird Hill parking
lot

Looking back along the Norton Trail towards the
Mockingbird Hill entrance

Norton Trail running along the hillside by homes

First big drop along the trail

Ranches next to the trail before the long ascent

Trail ascends steeply, then turns

Looking back down the trail at the first drop and the
houses next to
the trail

Norton Trail entrance at the Hacienda Trail

Mockingbird Hill Lane leads to Almaden Road near McKean Road,
which
in turn leads to Harry Road. Harry Road can be taken to reach the Alamitos
Creek Trail and the Calero Creek Trail. The Alamitos Creek Trail
leads
to San Jose's Almaden
Lake Park (not to be confused with Almaden Reservoir near New
Almaden).
The Calero Creek Trail leads to Santa
Teresa County Park.